Chapter 16
Chapter 16
These safety instructions made Ning Zhu’s scalp tingle. She muttered, “The Motion Sickness Card is understandable, but what does it mean to ‘fly out’? Does this thing not have any protection at all?”
Ning Zhu looked at Bai Ze: “Have you ever ridden the Somersault Cloud Express Card?”
Bai Ze rolled its eyes: “No.”
Ning Zhu said, “Oh right, in your era there probably wasn’t such high-tech stuff like this.”
Bai Ze, who could not stand provocation, immediately said, “High-tech? This broken card? It’s completely half-baked! A real Somersault Cloud does one flip and travels eighty thousand li, okay?”
Ning Zhu’s eyes lit up: “Really?”
Bai Ze realized it had slipped up and said, “Fake.”
Ning Zhu didn’t believe it. Full of longing, she said, “If Somersault Clouds exist, then the Monkey Brother isn’t far away either.”
Bai Ze: “……”
Ning Zhu knew Bai Ze was hiding many little secrets. That was normal—after all, this fat white cat had lived far, far too long.
Things that were too distant, she didn’t bother asking about. But right now, there was something urgent in front of her.
“What’s up with the Star Demon!” After she got home last night, she was too exhausted and fell straight asleep, so she didn’t get to ask it.
After Li Leyang mentioned the words “Star Demon,” Ning Zhu had been thinking about it.
The Star Demon was a Star God Card holder from a hundred years ago.
And the leader of the Zodiac Society died a hundred years ago.
This was absolutely not a coincidence.
Most likely, the Star Demon was the leader of the Zodiac Society.
Ning Zhu was now extremely wary of the Zodiac Society. Any clues related to it could not be taken lightly.
As the spirit of the Star God Card, Ning Zhu did not believe Bai Ze didn’t know about the existence of the Star Demon.
Bai Ze paused while licking its fur, then said, “There are monkeys anyway. Didn’t you see them in Lingyun Land? In the pet card area there are golden-haired monkeys, gibbons, white-browed monkeys, short-tailed—”
Ning Ze grabbed it and forcibly turned its head to face her, looking into its eyes. “Don’t change the subject.”
Bai Ze angrily said, “You rude woman! Let go of me!”
Ning Ze didn’t let go, even using her elbow to pin down its flailing little legs.
Bai Ze was furious: “I don’t know!”
Ning Ze said, “He is also a Star God Card holder, and he even used the Star God Card to create the Twelve Zodiac Cards. How could you not know!”
“I don’t know means I don’t know!”
“For the past hundred years, why has the Zodiac Society been killing Star God Card holders? Were they waiting for him to return?”
“……”
After Ning Zhu said this sentence, a cold damp sensation crawled up her back, as if she were being watched by a venomous snake.
When she read Harry Potter, she was not afraid of Voldemort, nor could she understand why the wizards in the story were afraid to even say his name.
But now, she truly felt that kind of fear—
The people of the Zodiac Society had effortlessly broken through the anti-theft door of her home.
They had burned her father to death.
They had shot her mother.
Ning Zhu’s fingers began to tremble uncontrollably, and she could no longer hold Bai Ze.
Bai Ze fell onto her thigh and couldn’t help but look up.
Ning Zhu’s shoulders were trembling slightly. Her hair fell over her shoulders. From this angle, she looked thin and fragile, like a newly sprouted seedling just breaking through the soil.
She was only sixteen years old.
Before meeting it, she had been so happy.
Bai Ze’s ears drooped as it said, “I only met him twice.”
Ning Zhu said in surprise, “Twice?” She didn’t understand why it would be only twice.
After so many days, Ning Zhu had learned quite a lot about the Star God Card.
The origin of this card was unknown; only that it had existed for many, many years.
Over time, it had changed hands repeatedly, having many different owners.
Bai Ze was the spirit of the Star God Card.
But not every Star God Card holder could see it.
Bai Ze had said before that it had only ever communicated with the first-generation card holder and with Ning Zhu. The rest of the time, because other Star God Card holders couldn’t see it, it remained in a dormant state.
Bai Ze said, “The first time I saw him was when he had just obtained the Star God Card; the last time I saw him was when he was about to die.”
Ning Zhu became even more confused: “After your first meeting…”
Bai Ze said, “He ‘killed’ me.”
Ning Zhu took a slight breath.
Bai Ze, small and curled up on her legs, said softly, “I wasn’t originally like this.”
In Ning Zhu’s mind appeared the divine beast Bai Ze—pure white all over, solemn and majestic.
It soared into the sky with overwhelming grandeur, wings spanning heaven and earth. It was nothing like the palm-sized kitten it was now.
Ning Zhu regretted it. She had only considered herself and not Bai Ze’s feelings. “I’m sorry.”
Bai Ze: “……”
It tilted its head to look at her. “What are you apologizing for? It’s not like you ‘killed’ me.”
Ning Zhu said seriously, “If you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t.”
Bai Ze said, “Actually… it’s not that I don’t want to talk about it that much.”
Warmth rose in Ning Zhu’s heart. “I’ll go open a can for you.”
Bai Ze raised its head. “Am I the kind of spirit who can be bought with just one can?”
“Two!”
“Make it quick, I also want frozen dried salmon!”
After eating and drinking its fill, Bai Ze was clearly much more energetic. It returned to its lazy state and said, “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. It’s just that I don’t know much about him. He could indeed see me, but he hated me very much. When he held the Star God Card, he was already a powerful card master, unlike you who knows nothing.”
“I don’t know how he did it. Without damaging the Star God Card, he erased me. At that time, I thought I was dead. I didn’t expect to slowly ‘come back to life,’ but my energy was far weaker than before—I couldn’t even maintain my true form.”
“When I revived, he was already close to death. So not long after I woke up, I fell back into dormancy because the Star God Card had lost its owner.”
The next time it woke up was when it met Ning Zhu.
Thinking of their first encounter—when it had been a bullied little white cat in the stray dog situation—Ning Zhu felt a wave of softness in her heart. “You suffered.”
Bai Ze: “……”
It paused, then felt that it lacked momentum and said, “He didn’t do much better either! So what if he killed me—he himself died at the hands of the Twelve Zodiac Cards he personally created.”
Ning Zhu was quite surprised. “He died because of the Twelve Zodiac Cards?”
Bai Ze didn’t remember much, but this part was very clear. “Yes! I heard their conversation. He tried to use the Twelve Zodiac Cards to control the Three Major Academies… but he ended up being surrounded and killed instead. Hmph, evil gets what it deserves.”
Ning Zhu, while gently stroking its fur, sorted through the information she now had:
After the Star Demon “killed” Bai Ze, he created the Twelve Zodiac Cards.
When Bai Ze woke up again, the Star Demon was already being besieged by the Twelve Zodiac Cards.
A hundred years had passed. The Three Major Academies each held six Zodiac Cards, while the remaining six were forbidden cards.
If the Zodiac Society belonged to Star Demon, then if they wanted revenge, shouldn’t they be targeting the Zodiac Card holders?
But… Ning Zhu said, “Why is the Zodiac Society so obsessed with hunting down Star God Card holders?” A hundred years was not a short time. Even now, they were still madly pursuing and killing them—why exactly?
Bai Ze said, “Where there is a master, there are servants. His followers are also a bunch of lunatics. Maybe, like that Li Leyang said, they’re thinking of resurrecting Star Demon.”
Ning Zhu’s heart tightened. “Can he really be resurrected?”
Bai Ze said, “Resurrect my foot. It’s already been a hundred years—he’s long turned to ashes. I was being sarcastic, mocking their wishful thinking!”
Bai Ze was the spirit of the Star God Card.
Even it thought it was impossible, then it probably really was impossible.
Bai Ze said, “Stop overthinking. You’re scaring yourself.”
Ning Zhu nodded. “Thinking more doesn’t help. The real key is improving strength as quickly as possible.”
After saying that, Ning Zhu was full of motivation.
She had already bought a pile of books related to card magic yesterday, and now she took them all out, preparing to study in advance.
Introduction to Card Magic looked like a brand-new Xinhua Dictionary. Ning Zhu looked at the first page…
click!
Ning Zhu closed it again and stood up. “I think an excellent card master must have excellent physical fitness. I’m going to run five kilometers first.”
Bai Ze: “…………”
This elementary school failure!
But physical fitness was indeed important. Running more wasn’t a bad idea.
—
August 31st.
Ning Quanren and Miao Yun sent their daughter to the airport together.
Ever since that near-accident, Ning Quanren no longer drove himself.
Before leaving, Ning Zhu repeatedly said, “Just let Driver Li send me. You don’t need to go through all this trouble.”
Ning Quanren said, “We must go! It’s such a big matter, we have to go!”
Miao Yun didn’t say anything, but her eyes were already red.
Ning Zhu felt heartache seeing this and hugged her mother tightly again.
Driver Li was actually quite puzzled.
Z City’s international high schools were so good—why did Ning Zhu insist on going to another province?
But this was his employer’s family matter, and he wouldn’t ask.
Naturally, nothing could be said in the car. Only after arriving at the airport did the family of three gather together and speak quietly.
Ning Zhu said, “Don’t worry! I can take care of myself!”
Miao Yun said, “Call Mom often.”
Ning Zhu said, “Every day.”
Ning Quanren also said, “When you’re out there, don’t be stingy with money. Dad can earn it.”
He had already looked at the prices of Ning Zhu’s card-making materials and worried she wouldn’t bear to spend money, so he transferred a lot more into her account.
Ning Zhu teased him, “Old Ning, aren’t you afraid I’ll go out and live it up?”
Old Ning truly wasn’t afraid. Sister Miao was, though—she shot Ning Zhu a glare.
Ning Quanren quickly smoothed things over. “That’s a boarding school. Where would she even have the chance to live it up?”
Miao Yun thought of Lingka Academy, and her expression inevitably darkened. She reminded Ning Zhu again, “Be careful about everything.”
Ning Zhu also said to her parents, “You must properly carry the cards I gave you.”
Ning Zhu patted her pocket and said, “Got it!”
Ning Zhu had bought quite a lot of self-storage energy cards in Lingyun Land.
These cards did not require a card ring to use. Even ordinary people without spiritual energy could use them.
However, they were expensive and had very limited types.
For example, an Armor Card suitable for ordinary humans cost more than ten times the price.
Ning Zhu checked in her luggage.
When she took out her boarding pass at the counter, she was quite nervous.
However, nothing happened. The flight attendant quickly helped her complete the procedures and said, “Your luggage is being inspected. Please wait five minutes on the side.”
Ning Zhu obediently stood aside. The people behind her were somewhat surprised and muttered, “It takes that long to inspect?”
However, after this person completed the check-in, the flight attendant smiled and said, “Sir, you don’t need to wait. It’s already done.”
The man said, “Oh, alright.” He glanced at Ning Zhu standing nearby, his eyes full of curiosity, as if thinking, Little girl, what contraband did you bring?
Ning Zhu: “……”
She also didn’t know why she had to wait. Her suitcase was full of everyday items, and her cards were all stored in her card pouch. There was really nothing prohibited.
Five minutes later, the flight attendant said to Ning Zhu, “Miss Ning, this is your Luggage Card.”
Ning Zhu caught the emphasis on the last three words and quickly responded, “Okay, thank you.”
After taking the boarding pass, she saw a small card.
This card was half the size of a normal one, looking like a miniature playing card. On the front it read:
Name: Luggage Card.
Owner: Ning Zhu.
Weight: 20 kg.
Size: 28-inch.
Validity: 48 hours.
This was Ning Zhu’s first long-distance trip. Miao Yun had prepared a huge suitcase for her and stuffed it full of all sorts of things.
If Ning Zhu hadn’t insisted on not exceeding the weight limit, the suitcase would never have been only 20 kg.
The back of the card was very cute, showing a mini version of the suitcase—exactly Ning Zhu’s pink-blue large suitcase.
Even though Ning Zhu already understood a lot about card masters, she still couldn’t help but marvel, “So amazing.”
Bai Ze said disdainfully, “Just a small trick.”
Ning Zhu glanced again at the checked luggage area and said, “So there’s a card master specifically responsible for turning luggage into cards?”
Bai Ze said, “Otherwise?”
Ning Zhu said with some longing, “That’s nice. Card masters have quite a wide range of job options.”
Bai Ze: “……”
It suddenly felt a bit worried.
The previous Star God Card holder had been too ambitious, changing the entire card master world with his own strength and even triggering a world war.
But this current Star God Card holder… was her ambition a bit too small? Admiring a ground-handling job—seriously?!
Ning Zhu passed through security smoothly and followed the signs toward the boarding gate.
She had previously flown many times with her parents, but this was her first time traveling so far on her own.
Because she was very familiar with airports, she didn’t panic. In no time, she found the correct boarding gate.
Normal!
Too normal!
Ning Zhu curiously looked at the people waiting in the boarding lounge.
She couldn’t tell at all whether they were also heading to Lingka Academy.
There were adults, elderly people, and very young children. Of course, there were also a few who looked about her age.
Were they all going to Lingka Academy?
Ning Zhu didn’t dare to ask randomly, so she could only find a chair and sit down, waiting to board.
An hour later, the flight Ning Zhu held began boarding.
Many people stood up and queued.
Ning Zhu observed carefully, but still didn’t find anything special.
“That old lady can’t also be a student at Lingka Academy, right?” Ning Zhu asked Bai Ze softly.
Bai Ze glanced at her and said, “Old? She’s only 79 years old.”
Ning Zhu: “……”
Thinking about Bai Ze’s age, she gave up. Forget it, no point in communicating. If three years is a generation gap, then between her and the Star God Card spirit, the gap was at least several thousand generations.
After passing the boarding gate, things gradually became different.
They did not board the plane directly; instead, they had to take a shuttle bus.
Below were two shuttle buses. A beautiful woman in uniform said, “Sir, please go to the front shuttle bus. Students, please come this way.”
Ning Zhu went to the rear shuttle bus. The ones who came with her were all sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boys and girls.
Her heart began to pound. She knew these were most likely her future classmates!
There were only seven people on the shuttle bus.
Everyone sat alone in a row, none of them sitting next to anyone else.
Ning Zhu couldn’t help thinking: “There are so few freshmen?”
Bai Ze said, “This is probably just Z City’s intake.”
Ning Zhu thought about it. “Right.”
The shuttle bus drove for a full hour—this was already outside the airport!
After getting off, Ning Zhu found herself in a very open area. The surrounding students also looked confused, and a few who didn’t travel often showed slight nervous and fearful expressions.
A female announcer’s voice rang out: “The Somersault Cloud Express is about to arrive at the platform. Please hold on firmly and stand steady.”
Hold on and stand steady?
Only then did Ning Zhu notice there were handrails nearby. She quickly grabbed one.
Beside Ning Zhu was a thin, small girl with somewhat pale skin and a very nervous expression. Noticing Ning Zhu’s gaze, she gave a timid smile.
Ning Zhu reminded her, “Hold the handrail.”
The girl said, “O-okay.”
The moment she finished speaking, a violent gust of wind swept over them!
The wind was earth-shaking—at least force level 8!
If there had been trees in this open area, they would probably have been uprooted!
Ning Zhu gripped the handrail tightly just to stabilize herself. The girl beside her had much less strength and was already using both hands, clutching the rail desperately.
The others weren’t doing much better. Among them, only another tall boy could manage to hold on with one hand like Ning Zhu.
As the hurricane-like wind swept in, a colossal object slowly approached from afar.
The boys and girls looked up, their eyes filled with shock.
It was a cloud!
A puffed-up, bulging mass—like a giant balloon—slowly descending from the sky!
People’s impression of clouds was usually positive: white, soft, floating far away at the edge of the sky, made delicate by the vast blue heavens.
But the cloud in front of them was slowly descending from the horizon, so large it was almost frightening.
Its shape was still that of a cloud—narrow at the top, wide at the bottom—but its sheer size made it appear majestic and towering, like a moving miniature fortress.
As it drew closer, damp mist rushed toward them, as if a torrential rain would fall at any moment.
Ning Zhu finally understood why the safety instructions specifically required school uniforms.
School uniforms were waterproof, windproof, and even seemed to have a slight temperature-regulating effect.
If you wore a skirt… well… it would definitely fly up.
The Somersault Cloud Express stopped in front of them.
Strictly speaking, its size was comparable to an Airbus aircraft, but its shape was too unusual, too distinctive, and filled with too much mist…
Alright—it didn’t look like a plane at all. It was a living, breathing giant cloud!
A staircase extended downward, and a flight attendant in uniform walked out, smiling as she said, “Passengers, please line up and board the card.”
Several teenagers exchanged glances.
The tall boy clearly had more courage and went first.
Once someone led the way, the others were no longer afraid and excitedly climbed onto the cloud ladder one after another.
It really was a “cloud” ladder!
Stepping on it felt like sinking into soft cloud fluff.
Ning Zhu was full of curiosity. She muttered to Bai Ze, “Is the Somersault Cloud Card really this realistic?”
She had thought the so-called Somersault Cloud Card was just a nice-sounding name, and at its core it would still be an airplane. She never expected it to actually be a real cloud.
Bai Ze said, “The first principle of card making is realism—from design to naming. Only when everything is unified can the success rate of card creation be improved and its effects fully realized.”
Ning Zhu understood.
She became even more excited about learning card creation.
Ning Zhu was the last to board—not because she deliberately waited, but because of her position; her handrail was at the very end.
She stepped onto the cloud ladder step by step. After entering the Somersault Cloud Express, her eyes lit up again.
So cute!
The cabin was also wrapped in clouds. Neatly arranged seats were all fluffy white cloud chairs, and even the aisle was filled with drifting mist. Even the windows looked like irregular holes carved into clouds.
There were already many passengers inside the express. Ning Zhu’s group seemed to be boarding at an intermediate stop. She found her seat, and just as she was about to sit down, she saw the person in the adjacent seat.
A familiar sweet face came into view, and Ning Zhu blurted out, “Li Leyang!”
The girl in front of her was petite, with long black hair draped down her back. A delicate crystal hair clip was pinned above her left ear, revealing a small ear and a sweet, pretty face… it was clearly Li Leyang!
Bai Ze reminded her, “If I remember correctly, Li Leyang is a boy.”
Ning Zhu froze for a moment.
Right… Li Leyang had been affected by a hallucination card and turned into a girl at the time. It had been so many days—he couldn’t still not have recovered, right?
Just as Ning Zhu finished speaking, the girl turned to look at her.
A sweet face—and a sharp, piercing gaze.
It definitely wasn’t Li Leyang!
“You know Li Leyang?” Her voice was completely different from Li Leyang’s.
Li Leyang had a voice changer-like, slightly hoarse “duck voice,” while the girl in front of her had a clear, cold tone—carrying a faint “killing intent.”
Ning Zhu instantly thought of a name: “Are you Ye Jianrong?”
Ye Jianrong suddenly stood up. She was nearly a head shorter than Ning Zhu, but her aura was strong and not at all inferior. She said, “I don’t sit with Li Leyang’s friends.”
With that, she walked to the other side and said to a girl, “Three Spirit Energy Cards. Change seats.”
The girl was the timid one who had boarded the card with Ning Zhu earlier. She stammered, “O-okay.”
Ye Jianrong immediately took out three Spirit Energy Cards. Although they were one-star cards, each was still priced between 100 and 150 yuan.
Three cards meant four to five hundred yuan!
Rich indeed.
The surrounding people all turned their heads, curiously sizing up this short girl with a cold and intimidating aura.
Ning Zhu was quite happy to change seats as well.
She got along very well with Li Leyang. When they were in Lingyun Land, it was thanks to Li Leyang that she managed to buy everything she needed for enrollment, and he also taught her a lot of interesting knowledge.
Li Leyang had mentioned Ye Jianrong more than once, every time through gritted teeth.
Mm. A friend’s enemy is an enemy.
Ye Jianrong didn’t want to sit with Li Leyang’s friend.
Ning Zhu also didn’t want to sit with Li Leyang’s enemy!
The timid girl sat next to Ning Zhu. Ning Zhu introduced herself, “My name is Ning Zhu.”
The girl whispered, “My name is Yuan Xiaona.”
Yuan Xiaona put away the Spirit Energy Cards and quietly asked Ning Zhu, “Are you also a preparatory student?”
Ning Zhu had heard Li Leyang mention this before and knew that some children from card-making families would study at Lingka Academy during the summer break. They were called preparatory students.
“I’m not,” Ning Zhu said.
“Then how do you know Li Leyang?” Yuan Xiaona asked. “I’ve heard of him—he’s the top card maker in the preparatory class.”
Ning Zhu paused. She had always thought Little Sheep was just bragging, but he turned out to actually be a top student.
“Mm… I just met him by chance,” she said.
“Oh.”
“And you? Are you a preparatory student? How do you know about him?”
“I’m definitely not. I… my whole family are pure humans.” Yuan Xiaona paused, then continued, “Lingka Academy has a school forum. Haven’t you logged in before?”
“School forum?”
“Yes, it’s an encrypted forum. You need to register to browse it, but registration is simple. As long as you’ve received an admission notice, you can register an account using your name and ID information.”
“I see!”
“Didn’t Li Leyang tell you?” Yuan Xiaona asked.
Ning Zhu shook her head. “He didn’t mention it.”
“That makes sense. Most card masters from pure human backgrounds are on the forum. As for him… well, preparatory students have their own circles.”
Ning Zhu: “……”
She suddenly didn’t know what to say. A “circle of their own”?
She hadn’t felt that from Li Leyang at all. Instead, it was Yuan Xiaona who made her feel the presence of “circles.”
They didn’t continue chatting, because the Somersault Cloud Express was about to take off.
The safety instructions were broadcast again. Ning Zhu quickly fastened her seatbelt and noticed a small pouch in the seat pocket in front of her.
Inside the pouch were several cards.
By now, Ning Zhu had seen quite a lot of cards and could tell at a glance that these were roughly made, non-star everyday cards.
The pouch contained: Motion Sickness Card ×1, Stabilization Card ×1, Refreshment Card ×1, Snack Card ×1, Cleaning Card ×1, and Hemostasis Card ×1.
The first few cards were still somewhat reasonable.
Although normal airplanes wouldn’t hand out a Stabilization Card, given that this was the Somersault Cloud Express, reinforcing stability made sense—it was, after all, made of clouds.
The Cleaning Card alone didn’t seem strange, but when combined with the four-hour fasting rule in the safety instructions, it became a bit odd. Was it meant for post-vomiting cleanup?
Thinking further, the Refreshment Card and Snack Card also seemed out of place. Eat after vomiting and cleaning up?
The most outrageous one was the last card.
Why would there be a need for a hemostasis card?
Was this Somersault Cloud Express really that unreliable?!
Clearly, Ning Zhu wasn’t the only one thinking this. After everyone understood what the cards were for, they all looked nervous.
Yuan Xiaona’s face turned slightly pale. “The school forum said the Somersault Cloud Express is supposed to be very comfortable…”
Ning Zhu gripped the handrail. “Let’s hope so.”
Whoosh!
A powerful surge of acceleration pressed against their backs, and several sharp intakes of breath sounded from the seats.
The Somersault Cloud Express shot forward at a speed comparable to a fighter jet!
A broadcast promptly reminded them: “Passengers experiencing discomfort, please use the Motion Sickness Card as soon as possible.”
Faint glows and soft murmurs appeared one after another as many people activated their Motion Sickness Cards.
Ning Zhu noticed it and asked Bai Ze in a self-muttering tone, “Do you have to say the card name out loud when using it?”
Bai Ze said, “Some people need to say it out loud.”
Ning Zhu thought about it. “That makes sense. I also said a ‘chant’ when I used Causal Reshaping.”
Bai Ze: “……”
That’s not even comparable. But it was too lazy to explain further!
Ning Zhu followed suit and said, “Motion Sickness Card.”
The card merged into her card ring, and a gentle wave of cool energy immediately spread over her. The turbulence of the Somersault Cloud Express felt significantly reduced, and she felt as if she were enveloped in a refreshing balm, becoming much more alert.
Crash!
The Somersault Cloud Express flipped over like a roller coaster, and everyone was thrown into a reversed orientation in their seats.
“Aaaahhh!”
“Ughhh!”
“Stabilization Card!”
“Cleaning Card!”
“Damn it, you threw up on me!”
“Why didn’t you use the Motion Sickness Card?!”
The upside-down passengers suddenly flipped upright again, only to tilt sharply the other way moments later.
Yuan Xiaona had lost all color in her face. If Ning Zhu hadn’t quickly used a Cleaning Card, she would have vomited everywhere.
The broadcast continued calmly: “The Somersault Cloud Express is passing through a turbulence layer. Slight shaking is normal. Please fasten your seatbelts and do not move around. Restrooms are temporarily unavailable.”
Ning Zhu: “……”
Her brain felt like it was about to be shaken out of her head—and this was only “slight shaking”?!
Ten minutes later, the broadcast sounded again: “The Somersault Cloud Express has passed through the turbulence layer. Passengers who need it may now use the restroom facilities.”
Passengers: “……” Go to hell, what restroom? Can you just give us another Cleaning Card?!
Ning Zhu had always been obedient. She followed the safety instructions strictly, completing every requirement properly, including the four-hour fasting rule.
So she only felt a bit startled and didn’t experience any serious discomfort.
Especially since the Motion Sickness Card was effective—after what felt like ten minutes of an extreme roller coaster combined with a pendulum ride and a pirate ship, she didn’t even feel dizzy or nauseous.
The other students were a different story.
Those who confidently didn’t use the Motion Sickness Card were vomiting everywhere, and only the Cleaning Card saved them.
Those who hadn’t fasted for four hours, even if they had used the Motion Sickness Card, were now in a half-dead state, unsure whether they would vomit or not.
Thankfully, everyone had fastened their seatbelts and used Stabilization Cards. Otherwise, they might have really been thrown out through those oddly shaped little windows.
If they had been thrown out…
Could they even survive that?!
Ning Zhu couldn’t help but say, “The job of a card master…”
Bai Ze said, “It’s always been dangerous.”
The next half hour, the Somersault Cloud Express became much smoother. Although it still wasn’t as comfortable as a normal airplane, it was no longer enough to leave people half-dead.
Just as the students were starting to recover and thinking of using a Refreshment Card to rehydrate, there was a loud “bang,” followed by a massive force pushing them to the left, slamming the students who had just unfastened their seatbelts into a dazed mess.
“What… what now?!”
“Didn’t they say we already passed the turbulence layer?!”
The broadcast came on again. This time, the voice was panicked—a hoarse male voice:
“I am escort teacher Gu Lieyang for this flight. We are under attack…”
As soon as the words fell, over a hundred freshmen in the cabin were stunned.
There were over a hundred new students on this Somersault Cloud Express.
Naturally, Lingka Academy did not only have this many freshmen; they were split into different flights heading to the academy.
The broadcast abruptly cut off, and then the teacher rushed into the cabin.
He was extremely muscular—clearly a powerful card cultivator. At this moment, his hair was disheveled, and his card ring was flashing continuously, indicating he had been deploying multiple cards. He shouted:
“Sorry! We deliberately used the Somersault Cloud Express for full concealment to prevent exposure of our route, but we still got discovered by the enemy! They are ruthless and may try to crash the entire Somersault Cloud!”
Hearing this, the freshmen were completely dumbfounded.
They even forgot to be shocked, each one looking like helpless lambs awaiting slaughter.
Yuan Xiaona burst into tears: “I… I want to go home! I… I don’t want to go to Lingka Academy anymore!”
Her outburst triggered many others:
“What is this?! We’re just going to school! How can this be happening?!”
“Exactly! This Somersault Cloud thing is already ridiculous—why not just use a normal plane?!”
“Didn’t you hear Teacher Gu Lieyang? The Somersault Cloud was for full concealment!”
“Why do we need to be hidden? Who is attacking us?!”
“So scary… I want to go home, I don’t want to be a card master anymore!”
Gu Lieyang: “Silence!”
His voice was loud and authoritative, and many students were instantly frightened into quieting down.
Bang!
Another explosion-like impact struck, as if a cannonball had hit them, shaking the Somersault Cloud violently.
Ning Zhu gripped the handrail tightly, forcing herself not to be thrown from her seat.
Facing the massive impact, Gu Lieyang still stood firmly in place. He said:
“Everyone, rest assured, I will do my best to protect you. Being a card master has never been a safe profession. If you don’t have this awareness, then after safe landing, you may apply to return your admission notice. The school will give you a Memory Erasure Card, and you will forget the existence of card masters entirely.”
Someone shouted angrily: “Isn’t it way too late to say that now?! If I had known this earlier, I never would have—”
Gu Lieyang: “Everyone, stay calm!”
“Waaahhh, I want to go home, I…”
Gu Lieyang stopped wasting words. A surge of dazzling light exploded from his card ring, and a phantom image of a card appeared in front of him.
Compared to an ordinary card, it was enormous.
The phantom of this card was a full two meters tall and one and a half meters wide, like a door that had suddenly materialized out of thin air, standing in front of Gu Lieyang.
Gu Lieyang said, “This is a Scene Card. I will pull all of you into it. Remember, do not leave on your own. No matter what happens inside the Scene Card, unless the card opens by itself, do not come out!”
Ning Zhu was seeing such a type of card for the first time.
She had heard about it from Li Jin before.
Li Jin had been trapped in a Maze Card after someone stole his card ring; that Maze Card was a type of Scene Card.
And then there was Lingyun Land—it was said to be supported by many Scene Cards.
Thinking of this, Ning Zhu calmed down quite a bit. Seeing her classmates panicking, she reminded them, “Lingyun Land is also made of Scene Cards!”
That helped—everyone’s fear toward Scene Cards faded somewhat.
Gu Lieyang glanced at Ning Zhu and said, “Hurry up. The Somersault Cloud Express can’t hold much longer.”
The students panicked and rushed toward the Scene Card.
Gu Lieyang tried to organize them into an orderly entry, but at this point, a delay meant death—no one would listen.
Moreover, the students no longer trusted this teacher from the Card Master Academy.
The Card Master Academy was too unreliable!
The Somersault Cloud Express had already left a psychological shadow on the freshmen, and now there was an attack on top of it…
Many people were already thinking of backing out.
Going to the Card Master Academy was not something they absolutely had to do!
Ning Zhu did not rush forward. Yuan Xiaona squeezed in instead—she was small and thin, and after being pushed into the crowd, she was carried forward by the flow and quickly entered the Scene Card.
The one left at the back was Ye Jianrong.
She still wore that cold, arrogant expression, looking at the chaotic, crowded crowd with undisguised disdain.
Gu Lieyang was drenched in sweat. Clearly, maintaining such a card was extremely draining for him.
He managed to get all the students into the Scene Card with effort. Only then did he realize that two girls were still at the very end, not moving forward.
“Quick! Get in now!”
“I can fight.” The one who said this was Ye Jianrong.
“What about you, teacher?” Ning Zhu spoke almost at the same time as her, but said something different.
Gu Lieyang was briefly stunned, then said, “You two are courageous, but you haven’t formally learned anything yet—you can’t help. Hurry and go hide inside…”
As he spoke, he reached out and pulled both of them into the Scene Card.
At that moment, a hole was torn open in the Somersault Cloud Express.
The gaping tear that looked like it had been corroded by acid made Ning Zhu’s heart tighten sharply.
As she entered the Scene Card, she saw several black shadows following closely behind them.
The attackers had entered the Scene Card!
—
Lingka Academy.
Conference room.
In front of them, the large projection screen displayed more than ninety small windows, each showing similar scenes.
The attacked Somersault Cloud Express.
The panicked freshmen.
And the teachers “struggling” to activate the Scene Cards.
Aries Department Head Li Suwen said with clear heartache, “Principal, isn’t this year’s ‘first lesson of the semester’ too harsh?”
Libra Department Head Jiang Binglun replied coldly, “We don’t need flowers grown in a greenhouse.”
The young principal, wearing a dark red robe, stared at the images on the massive screen with a solemn, aged gaze and said softly, “Times are different now.”